Primary battery



Feb. 7, 1939.v F. c. F. PQRTAIL 2,146,348

PRIMARY :BATTERY Filed May l2, 1956 /NVeA/fyonf d" lore particularlypertains toldprirnary cellshavirig sloluloleelectrodes.`

1 Tne prsent invention :rentes: to batteries an ""scribedva process anda deviceallowing `to `remedy ``some.inclgnveniences which; sometimesoccur when \priniary batteries fare `conriected`together andA which can`be regarded asdue to a `forrn of polarii Zation. of thesolubleelectrode. This process es` sentiallyfcounsist`s`in"associating with'the main; soluble electroder` one or o more `auxiliary soluble`electrodesso arranged as `to polarize to` amlesseif` extent than the imain `soluble electrode andv to hns ensurefepolarization of the latter@1 Ithaj howeverbeen foundtlrat, particularly wherilytne, ltctrvlyeisrendered solidmhe wld,l o lowsydotvnfthe `dfcpolarizing"actionjof'tireauxf i" o lliary electrodes, thisycausing" a reductionfof the oltageofthecellgf o o o t o o The object ofythepresent invention "istomemedy this inconvenience `and essentially consistsinnterposinggfbetween the "riiai'xrv soluble 4electrode Vanclthe firstauxiliary soluble electrodela semi' 25.`1`Je`rviousy Wall magici` oi??rajmaterial allowing ex-` "chjangesof products,y but having no `chemicalaco-"oo` "lThjefneW improvedcellis tl'l'erfeforel divided into` twocompartmentsffby the v seiniepervious `wallff` "above mentioned;#Infon'efofthe compartments l are arranfgeltheinsolubleelectrode andtheV mal soluble'oclectrode; In "thel second compartment 'is35;;rrngedtheonrstgagouaryvsoiume;electrode; ,o o In order thattheinvention may bexrnore; clearly understood,` a form of carrying it intopracticev willobedescribedfby way of example. t t trifthefacconipanyi'ng drawing:v o

Fig. lis a diagrammatic partial section made: according to line` A-A ofFig. 2, showing a` cell` according to the invention.

Fig.; 2is a, plan View; partially insection ac;- cording to line B-B ofFig.l 1,-showin`g thesame cell. l o k 5 In the drawing,` loydesignateslthe jar containing the `cell and made of V'fluid-tight andinsulating f rnate`rial,"for` instance of moulded material, in- 3ternally lined 61:"not witlra layer" of parafn; 2 i f, 50l designatestheinsoluble electrode which is made,` t for instance, ofdepolarizlngporous. carbon and t the bottomof` which is preferably, insulated from oo the electrolyteby a layer `2li of moulded vmaterial,` o "such asBakelite, `or of plastic material, such as` v *55 pitch;` 3" designatesthe` electrolyte f which is, for` o o o o "'lrtrrmmrmitrgrnrtiziQQ` yFernand ,Charles Frdric Portail,` Gennevilliers, To France, assignor toSocitAno honeyGennevilliers,` France s t Y "ayi2,fiseeQseriaigiv.{vaazzjfo t Ixr France Malrcli "3; '1936" L o i s`claims." x(cl-.\136-`-A1oo,), t i i tionlngtne ecristi"t1jienta'ofl thebattery. fraternal "I instance` `allaline l electrolyte; fandf renderedsolid" in `a suitable manner; ldesignates'lthe main of ayzme``cyli'mier,fsitteci"or not and the.` thicko l nessfofl` whichh candecreaseffroiirtopto `bottom. `5

rstauxiliarydelectrode arranged underneatlr fa llayex"` of."semiperviou`s`` `material fl 2 constitutedgio loinstancefbyfajsmallthickness `of` j "glasssilkextending thrpughouutneseetion or the` ocelrunjderneatn tne-eieetrode's zand@ 1o o `'Iheelectrode .5i afanconveniently be constituted bya `zinc "stripWound` in a spiralandra'rranged at a .Small `'distaleG1 frem the bottom ef the, tell. 1""Tvvo.` other auxiliary electrodes 6; preferablyV in thefshap'e of`zinc; blades` or "strips arefarranged 15 outwardly ofthefelectr'ode 4relatively to the electrode `llanrl above the layer of glass silk.` Theelectrodes 14," 5 5.1 and E fare connec"te`d1-` by"` `electricconductors' such as 'l and" 8. passing throughV the 1 Inpvew of thecellarra'rigement` concentration 1' orthetp'roducts; ofthereactionha's'aft ndeiicyto` .increasefin thewcompartmenticonft ng' `thein- "josoluble Velectrode 2""s`o'` thatat the endofaggiven period, thephenomenonfof, osmotic;pressureoce 25 l cursvanl` the "diffusion of thereaction products Y"tmyard "the lower compartment" below he."serniperviousjwalllzis accelratedibythefp sence of tif` the only atnaturalv .diffusion due tojthe differences of concentration; `and in" a;battery with a "solid electrolyte subjected to a lowtemperaturathisl.diffusionwill be extremely slow.

1 the` comp'artmentslof )the cellfwith{electrolytes having diierentcontents in` 'materialfior` renderlng thenil solidi of,Preferably;r thematerial for" rendering the electrolytes` solid is incre'I concentrated`above the` wall" IZZthan belovf'the4 same. 4,0`

way of example only; all the detailsof construc- 50.

tion, shapes; dimensions andmaterialsnused `can vary according,` tovcircumstancestwithout departing thereby'from the principlelofthevinvention.

I claim:

1.. A. primary'l battery,` comprising in combina; 55:

semi-pervious] Wall were, omitted;jtherelfwould be 3o t Finallyitcanbe'advantageousto..'flllfeaclrof` 35` tion a jar. an electrolyte in saidjar, a semipervious wall immersed in the said electrolyte and dividingthe said jar into two compartments, an insoluble electrode arranged in arst compartment of the jar, a group of soluble electrodes in said iirstcompartment, a second soluble electrode contained in the othercompartment, and electric connections between the soluble electrodes.

2. A primary battery, comprising in combination a Jar, an electrolyte insaid jar, a semipervious wall immersed in the said electrolyte anddividing the jar into two compartments, an insoluble electrode in afirst compartment of the said jar, a main soluble electrode arranged inthe same compartment as the insoluble electrode opposite an activesurface thereof and separated therefrom by a practically constantthickness of electrolyte, said main soluble electrode being entirelyimmersed in the electrolyte. auxiliary soluble electrodes electricallyconnected to the main soluble electrode and immersed in the electrolyte,and one of said auxiliary electrodes being situated in the othercompartment of the said jar. l

3. A primary battery comprising a jar, an electrolyte in said Jar, asemi-pervious wall immersed in said electrolyte and dividing the jarinto two compartments,v said semi-pervious wall being formed of amaterial allowing diffusion therethrough but without chemical reactionon the constituents of the battery, an insoluble electrode contained ina first compartment of said jar, a first group of soluble electrodescontained in said rst compartment. a second soluble electrode containedin the other compartment of the jar, and electric connectionsI betweenthe soluble electrodes. l

4. A primary battery comprising a Jar, an electrolyte in said Jar, asemi-pervious wall immersed in the said electrolyte and dividing the jarinto two compartments, said semi-pervious wall being formed of amaterial allowing diffusion therethrough but without chemical reactionon the constituents of the battery,'an insoluble electrode arranged in arst compartment of said jar, a main soluble electrode situated directlyopposite an active surface of said insoluble electrode and separatedtherefrom by a practically constant thickness of electrolyte, said mainsoluble electrode being entirely immersed in the electrolyte, auxiliarysoluble electrodes electrically connected to the main soluble electrode,one of said auxiliary electrodes situated in the compartment of the jarwhich does not contain the said'mainvsoluble electrode.

5. A primary batterycomprlsing a jar, an electrolyte in said jar, asemi-pervious wall immersed in the said electrolyte and dividing saidjar into two compartments, an insoluble electrode contained in a firstcompartment oi the Jar. a main soluble electrode situated directlyopposite an active surface of the said insoluble electrode and separatedtherefrom by a practically constant thickness of electrolyte, said mainsoluble electrode being entirely immersed in the electrolyte,

an auxiliary soluble electrode immersed in the electrolyte below themain soluble electrode and insoluble electrode in the compartment whichdoes not contain said main soluble electrode and said insolubleelectrode, a second auxiliary electrode immersed in the electrolytearranged in the same compartment as the insoluble electrode and the mainsoluble electrode, said second auxiliary soluble electrode beingseparated from the insoluble electrode by the main soluble electrode,electric connections between the main soluble electrode and the firstauxiliary soluble electrode and between the first auxiliary solubleelectrode and the second auxiliary soluble electrode.

6. A primary battery comprising in combination a jar, an electrolyte insaid jar, a semipervious wall immersed in the said electrolyte anddividing the said jar into two compartments, an insoluble electrode in afirst compartment of the said jar, a main soluble electrode situated inthe same compartment as said insoluble electrode, an auxiliary solubleelectrode contained in the other compartment of the jar and electricallyconnected to the said main soluble electrode.

7. A primary battery comprising in combination, a jar, an electrolyte insaid jar, a semipervious wall immersed in the electrolyte and dividingthe jar into two compartments, said semi-pervious wall being formed of amaterial allowing diifusion therethrough but without chemical reactionon the constituents of the battery| an insoluble electrode contained ina first compartment of the jar, a main soluble electrode situated in thesame compartment as said insoluble electrode, an auxiliary solubleelectrode contained in the other compartment of the jar and electricallyconnected to the said main soluble electrode.

8. In a primary battery, a jar, an electrolyte in said jar, asemi-pervious Wall immersed in the said electrolyte and dividing saidJar into two compartments, an insoluble electrode contained in a firstcompartment of the jar, a first group of soluble electrodes contained inthe same compartment as said insoluble electrode, a second solubleelectrode contained in the other compartment, the electrolyte containedin the first compartment having a greater degree of solidification thanthe electrolyte in the second compartment, and electric connectionsbetween the soluble electrodes.

FERNAND CHARLES FREDERIC PORTAIL.

